Update on Grand Circle - Paul Gaugin problems!

[Dolebludger]

Well, you shan't loose many tears with a trip to London instead. Of all our trips and vacations, I honestly don't know whether to rank London above or below French Polynesia ----- but they are both number one with us. We get several ads per month in the mail from GCT. Usually, I just trash them. Today, I read the "fine print". I would not book a trip ANYWHERE with them, after reading that and hearing the experiences of others with them. Our advice at this point is to take in as much of London as you can in the time you have. Hire a limo with another group if possible. "The tube" is too hot and smelly this time of year, and it eats up too much of your time. Book a tour to Stonehenge and the Salsbury plain if possible. See Hampton Court. See the Chruchill War Rooms. See St. Pauls. See the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. And know that we've been there once, and are going to go again. And know that all of us who have truly enjoyed Radisson cruises in the past are very sorry that Radisson became associated with this bunch of sleeze bags!

 

 

Sorry,

Richard

[JoAnne B]

Hope you enjoy Bailey's. Be aware that there is a wide variance in the quality of the rooms. If you booked a "deluxe" you'll be fine. Otherwise, if you don't like what they offer, see if they can find something more to your liking. I do love that neighborhood! So convenient at the crossroads of so many tube and bus lines. This time of year, I favor the buses. For a real bargain, go across to the tube station and buy a day transport pass after 9 am. It beats all the pre-booked cards by a mile. I'd add the British Museum and Kensington Palace to the list of must-see's.

 

Enjoy! It's not Tahiti, but life is good!

[Dolebludger]

I offer a bit of a contrarian opinion to that of JoAnne B. We found that use of public transportation in London was economically counterproductive. In other words, we spent so much time getting there, and got to see less as a result, so we now have to go back to see what we missed! So much more money spent than if we had seen it all the first time! Whereas, when we were in Rome, we and another couple went together and hired a limo. The driver knew the right times to avoid traffic and crowds at the attractions. As a result, in 9 hours and $110US per person, we SAW Rome! No need to return, if the motive is just to see the sights. In contrast, in London, we tried to rely on "the tube", busses, and a few taxis, and now? We've got to go back to see all the things we missed! And that is false economy.

 

 

Our advice? Get another couple with you and hire a limo and driver before you go to show you London. Yes, you'll have to take a bus to see Stonehenge, Bath, Salsbury, and other more distant attractions. That will be about a day. But for the sites in London, next time we go, we are getting a limo. It sounds extravagant, until you factor in the cost of a SECOND trip over there.

 

Hope this helps,

Richard:) :) :)

[flahagan]

Dolebludger and JoAnne,

 

Thanks for the informative tips. Joanne, that's good to know about the varying rooms at Bailey's, will keep that in mind when we check in!

 

Dolebludger, all the sites you mentioned are the ones high on our list, also. As a special bonus, I've ordered tickets to the final "Prom in the Park", an open-air concert in Hyde Park featuring Andrea Bocelli. I still have a few days to wait and see if we'll get them (the BBC site is not live-online, and they only charge your credit card when they issue the tickets). Now THAT would be the highlight of the trip for us. Thanks again for your kind support.

[dwelsh]

Being an expatriot Brit I have had the pleasure of taking many of our children and grandchildren to the UK.

 

The best way (and probably the least expensive) to see London, we have found, is on the BIG RED or BIG BROWN tourist busses which are, hop-on, hop-off busses you can board at Green Park Station in the West End or anywhere you see them, and visit, with a wonderful commentary, all the, "sights of London." A bonus is the trip on the Thames from the Tower to Westminster. I learnt more of British history on those tours than I think I learned at school!!!!

My suggstion is to take the complete round trip one day and then make notes of the places you want to spend more time in and plan to go there the following days.

London is a BIG CITY, it is like all big cities, (except Los Angeles) lots of people,congestion, museums, pick-pockets, (watch your purses ladies) taxis, places to eat, theatres, tourist attractions and history. I do not see how anyone can compare it with the Pacific Islands which are tranquil, beautiful, hot and uncrowded.

You will have a wonderful time in London.

Because of the poor exchange rate you will find prices twice those in the US especially in the restaurants where everything is a la carte. When we were there last November I remember practically choking on the menu prices in London! Outside of London, the further north you go you would find prices more reasonable. The real beauty of the UK is not to be found in London but in the countryside and in the small towns and villages which also have a lot of history and wonderful scenery.

The best way to visit Britain, IMHO, is to rent a car at Heath Row, spend a week or so enjoying the "real" Britain and then end with about 3-4 days in London.

Hope this has been helpful. Have a wonderful trip.

[flahagan]

Yes, we plan to spend our first day there just riding the full circuit of all the lines on the Big Brown Bus. There's no better way to acquaint yourself to a new city than something like this, and we can sit and relax. And thanks for all of the other tips.

 

Sorry to other RSSC board members for taking up space on something as remote as London. We do digress!

[JoAnne B]

Dolebludger

 

I'd agree that for some of the tourist sites a private driver would be best. I still love the experience of the buses (used to love the tube, but not now and not in summer). The area around Bailey's is convenient for buses, once you figure out the system. I've never done the "hop on, hop off" tour bus, but it seems like a pretty efficient way to get a feel for the city.

 

I'd add Windsor Castle, Avon, and Freud's house to my list. Oh, and don't forget Harrods and the China Reject Shop. But there is only so much you can do on a first trip. I can always find an excuse to go back.

 

Cheers.

[jhp]

I found that on my first trip to London, there was so much to see, no need to get out of town. On subsequent visits, I have hired (with friends) a driver to take us out to the Cotswalds, taken the train to Windsor, and one other famous castle (it is red, and it is late so forgive me). My daughter studied in Oxford for a summer, and so I really enjoyed going there for a few days. But for a pre-cruise, you can find all you want right in the city or just a short train ride out. I never tire of seeing the crown jewels at the Tower of London!

[mimie]

We just got back from a few days in London and a week in Paris. We took a Black Taxi tour our first full day in London for about 2 hrs. The drivers have to pass a knowledge test and will customize the itinerary for you. He picked us up at the hotel and drove us to various locations, all the while giving us background and history of the area. He was very flexible in stopping for photo ops. We enjoyed our time and then went back to places we wanted to see in depth. We used a daily tube ticket and got around to all places of the city or walked (a lot!)

 

We've done the hop on/hop off bus in other cities and always recommend it. This time we thought we would try something a little more personalized and enjoyed it! I would recommend the Black Taxi Tours!

Miriam

[TedC]

We always get a seven-day tube pass and get our money's worth. It's fast and pretty efficient, we've found.

 

Tube pass can also be used on the buses, which are much slower but still a pleasant way to get around. With the tube pass you can get a discount on certain river trips, which are also very worthwhile. Easy to get to interesting Greenwich, etc.

 

Your S. Kensington hotel location is excellent - a minute walk to Gloucester Road tube station which has the Piccadilly, Circle and District lines which get you to just about anywhere you want to go.

 

There's a WaitRose supermarket in the mini-mall attached to the tube station. There are restaurants and shops in the mall and other shops and eating places in the neighborhood.

 

London's the best theater town in the world, IMO. Google "London Theater" and you should be able to find the site run by the theaters that host the TKTS half-price booth. BEWARE of nearby imitators. The site tells you what's available, the prices, and details on transactions there.

[flahagan]

That's great news that the travelcards are good for buses, too. For some reason, I thought the bus was a separate pass.

Thanks, everyone, for helping build the excitement for this trip. 3 months to go, and I know that time will pass quickly!

[Zorita]

The line can't possibly be unaware of the many viewers of this board, so have they made any attempt to address your mistreatment at the hands of their owner? While I suspect they could have their own hands tied behind their backs by GTC, have they at least responded to your complaint? The way they handle this will surely be important to many as their excellent reputation remains at risk. While the pricing dishonesty is clearly not the line's fault, it sure is an issue that's spilling over to cost them dearly. And despite the PG being the only ship effected, IMHO their fleetwide image seems it is now being tarnished by their silence for so long.

-Leigh

[HaloV]

We are one of the couples that took the risk and went ahead and sailed PG with Grand Circle. We were also misquoted the price of the cruise. As I talked with a lot of the GCT passengers, it seemed that everyone was misquoted the wrong price.(most were $200.00 p.p.) They all wrote letters to any one that they thought might help, but to no avail. Mark Conroy wrote me back and was fully aware of the situation. We were taken care of very well by GCT. We had an excellant guide to help with anything. We didn't use her as much as others, but she was great. It is true that most of the GCT passengers were average age 70-75. It did not have any effect on us. We are 25 years younger than the average age. The price of the cruise, the 2 night Radisson Hotel and free flight was unbeatable. But we did take a chance after reading everyones complaints. All of the transitions went very smoothly. We got to the airport before the rush and sailed through the line. Don't get me wrong, we are still angry about the price mix up. But, we had a great time, and if the same deal or better comes up, we might go back again next year.

[JoAnne B]

Looks like you're getting really good information on the area around Bailey's Hotel. If you like Italian, ASK in the mall is one of my favorite restaurants. Casual, but great pasta, pizza, and salads. I plan to stop in myself on an overnight stop at Gatwick in July. Will hop the Gatwick express, then the tube, and then back again. That's how much I like it!

 

Be very careful with your travel pass....you have to use it to enter the underground and also to exit. If you lose it or it "disappears" from your pocket there can be a steep fine. Pickpockets are commonplace no matter where you go. I learned the hard way when mine was lifted from my jacket pocket and I had to beg for mercy from a very irritated London policeman.

 

Enjoy!!!!

[flahagan]

HaloV,

[flahagan]

HaloV, sorry about that! I must have hit a wrong button in my haste to write.

What dates were you in Tahiti? We were to have sailed last Sat., June 4.

 

Now, are you saying that everyone you talked with traveling with GCT on YOUR trip said that they ALSO had been "misquoted" an incorrect price for your sailing? $200 definitely isn't as bad as the $700 each we were asked to pay extra, but this certainly appears to be presenting as a pattern with GTC. Bells are going off in my head, clanging "BAIT AND SWITCH, BAIT AND SWITCH"!!! Something is certainly wrong with this, and I can't imagine how this company is getting away with it. Just because a company adds a clause in its fine print exonerating itself from any published error in pricing doesn't give it the right to do business this way on a regular basis.

 

Sorry, but I'm a little incensed to discover how widespread this must be, and how many customers are getting duped everyday. They agree on a price for a trip, put down the deposit, dream about it for several months. Then when it's time to make final payment, they're told they will have to pay more if they want the trip. This is just so wrong!!!! Is there anyone out there with a suggestion as to how we can put a stop to this?

[HaloV]

Flahagan, Our group was combined with Vantage too. They did not have any price conflicts. Everyone from GCT had never had any problems before this. Most of the people had used GCT at least three times. Halo

[JoAnne B]

But, we had a great time, and if the same deal or better comes up, we might go back again next year.

 

Seems to me that as long as people are willing to fall in line, pay the "bait and switch" higher rate, and then rebook for a future cruise, GCT has no incentive to change their practices. If a line pulled this on me, I can't imagine doing business with them.

[flahagan]

Amen, JoAnne! Sounds like they have a ready and willing customer base.

[Dolebludger]

I should mention that we are booked on the PG in the fairly near future through a Radisson via a TA. Our final bill did come in about $200 more for the two of us than we had figured, but this was all due to Radisson and ATN fuel surcharges. A few fuel charges are springing up, and given the outrageous price of oil, I'm surprised there aren't more. While these didn't make me smile, there is no problem with them, as the possibility was included in our initial contract, and fairly so. So, were GCT to up the total on a couple who booked some time ago by $200 or so, it is legit and no cause for alarm. It's the $700 or so up-charges that have no justification.

 

 

Thanks,

Richard

[drwong]

Chris Elliott, the National Georgraphic's travel ombudsman, wrote another article critical of Grand Circle Travel's practices - namely, their marketing of travel "insurance" that isn't worth the paper it's printed on; misinforming the traveller; and finally reimbursing the traveller only after the intervention of Mr. Elliott. He deserves a note of thanks from all of us.

 

http://www.tripso.com/archives/2005/06/salvaging_a_sun.html

[flahagan]

Hooray for Chris Elliott!!!! He's the MAN! I'm sure that Stephanie Nichols, the Marketing Director for GCT, is becoming uncomfortably familiar with him by now. Complaints about GCT could keep Mr. Elliott busy full-time. It's such a customer-friendly company!

[WonderMan3]

What's the big deal here? GCT and its company policies nor the insurance plan policies didn't do anything wrong here, it was the customer service agent who gave bad information to the customers (I lose count at how many times that has happened to me with various companies....). And as the column pointed out the customers themselves also didn't act practically. When GCT discovered the error that the agent had made they refunded the money.

 

Reading back up on the whole issue that started this thread, GCT also offered refunds to those caught up in the whole pricing error issue. A company that was seeking to defraud people certainly wouldn't do that. Their goal in that case would be to keep the money.

 

And those who actually continued with the cruise despite the pricing confusion posted here that they had a wonderful time and specifically mentioned GCT employees as being great.

 

Methinks some people here are just a bit obsessed with demonizing this company. Maybe a better use of time would be spent searching for a new company that you want to travel with and put your bad encounter behind you.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wonderman, you may have something there. Is that was you actually surmised from this lengthy thread? If so, great.

 

I was on board with the GCTers, and they had a great time, I know that. And their onboard agent was great, she worked really hard.